The present invention relates to accessories mountable on the frame of a bicycle and, more particularly, to water bottle cages attachable to a frame tube of a bicycle.
A common accessory for a bicycle, especially bicycles designed for training or long distance riding, is the water bottle. Typically, the water bottle is a flexible plastic flask with a removable cap carried in a cage comprising a bent wire shaped to receive the water bottle in an interference fit. The cage is attached to a bicycle frame tube by a mounting bracket.
Some water bottle cage assemblies are attached to a frame tube by screws which pass through a plate portion of the mounting bracket and are tapped into the frame tube itself. Such cage assemblies are disclosed in Shimano U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,721 and Shook U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,596. However, in some applications it is undesirable to utilize a cage assembly having screws that tap directly into the frame tube itself. Such cage assemblies are not desirable as after-market products, typically are fixed at a single, predetermined location on the frame, and of necessity require the penetration of the protective paint coating of the frame.
Accordingly, it is desirable in some applications to provide a water bottle cage assembly which is attachable to a bicycle frame tube without penetration of the tube itself by screws or other fastening means. An example of such a device is disclosed in Shook U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,810. That patent discloses a cage assembly made of a single piece of bent wire having a pair of substantially parallel, inboard struts secured to the frame tube by a pair of annular straps. Each annular strap is pinched about the frame tube by a barrel nut and bolt unit. This device also includes a plastic tube or sleeve which fits about the inboard struts of the cage and through which the straps extend. This sleeve acts in part to space the frame from the tube and forms a non-abrasive connection therebetween.